Active communities link worker jobs in London

About the role:

If you’re someone who thrives on being at the heart of things - keeping people connected, places running smoothly and clients feeling welcome - then this could be the perfect opportunity for you. We’re looking for two Day Concierges to join our Lewisham service, a dynamic cluster of properties providing safe accommodation and tailored support to homeless Londoners. This is more than just a front-of-house role; it’s about creating a calm, organised and positive environment where people can begin to rebuild their lives.

Based across our hub offices in Brockley and New Cross, you’ll be the first friendly face our residents, visitors and partners meet each day. Working closely with the Duty Worker, you’ll help ensure everything behind the scenes runs seamlessly - from managing calls and appointments to overseeing rotas, supplies and maintenance requests. You’ll play a vital role in keeping the service connected, informed and responsive, helping residents feel secure and staff stay supported. Your eye for detail, ability to juggle tasks and natural people skills will make you the steady presence that keeps things on track.

You don’t need previous experience in the homelessness sector to join us - just great organisational skills, confidence in communication and a genuine passion to make a difference. In return, you’ll gain invaluable hands-on experience, expert training and the chance to develop your career in one of London’s leading homelessness charities. At Single Homeless Project (SHP), many of our managers and senior staff began in entry-level roles just like this one. So, if you’re ready to play an essential part in helping people move forward and want a role where your efforts truly matter, this is your chance to start that journey.

About you:

• Bring warmth, professionalism and excellent customer service to every interaction. 
• Are highly organised and confident in managing day-to-day tasks and admin with care and precision.
• Have a genuine drive to help people experiencing homelessness create lasting, positive change.
• Stay calm, flexible and solution-focused when faced with challenges, learning and adapting along the way.
• Think creatively and bring fresh ideas to how you work, always looking for better ways to make an impact.

About us:

Single Homeless Project is a London-wide charity. Our vision is of a society where everyone has a place to call home and the chance to live a fulfilling life.

We help single Londoners by preventing homelessness, providing support and accommodation, promoting wellbeing, enhancing opportunity, and being a voice for change. From supporting people in crisis to helping people take the final steps towards independence and employment, we make a difference to 10,000 lives every year across all 32 boroughs.

We offer you more than a job; we offer you a chance to be part of a compassionate, driven team that's committed to making a real difference in people's lives. You'll have the opportunity to lead, co-create, and inspire change while enjoying a collaborative, growth-oriented environment.

Join us in creating a brighter, more hopeful future for individuals in need. 

Important info:

Closing Date: Sunday 10th May at midnight 

Interview Date: Wednesday 20th May online via Microsoft Teams

Please note shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a short psychometric test before being confirmed for interview. 

This post will require an Enhanced DBS check to be processed (by SHP) for the successful applicant.

Please note applications are reviewed for AI use in application questions. Applications requiring sponsorship or with insufficient right to work will not be accepted or progressed.

Vision: Home-Start Southwark and Lewisham believes every parent should have the support they need to give their children the best possible start in life.

Main purpose of the job: Providing targeted, specialised support to parents with at least one child under 5, but with a whole family approach. The post carries a high level of responsibility in ensuring that a quality service is offered to families through a team of trained volunteers.

Our ambition is to continue to develop outstanding services that meet the needs of our community; if you want to be part of our future, we would love to meet you to discuss this further.

This is an exciting new role within HFF Science Team and would suit an individual looking to apply their demonstrable experience of research funding processes, and their knowledge of the research environment and funding landscape. If you’re organised, adaptable and keen to make a positive impact on world-class research, we’d love to hear from you.

SENIOR FUNDING MANAGER, HUO FAMILY FOUNDATION

Salary: £60,000 per annum plus benefits

Reports to: Director of Research

Line manages: N/A

Location: Mayfair, London

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week

Start date: August 2026

You must have the right or the permission to work in the UK. Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. 

Closing date:  30 April 2026

Interview dates: during May 2026

ABOUT THE HUO FAMILY FOUNDATION AND ITS SCIENCE PROGRAMME

HFF is a grant-giving foundation based in London. Its mission is to support education, communities and the pursuit of knowledge. The Foundation’s current focus is in three main areas: education; the arts; and science.Since its inception in 2009, it has pledged over $100M to impactful projects in the UK, US and China.More information is available on our website.

The Trustees of the Foundation are supported by a small executive team of six.

The rapid rise and use of digital technology have permeated much of society and transformed the way many humans interact. There has been a broad array of research efforts, but the full implications - both positive and negative - on human physiology, psychology, behaviour, well-being and mental health remain unclear.  We believe there is an opportunity to help advance the research and the field of knowledge in this area. 

To this end, since mid-2024, HFF has established and will continue to grow a multi-year research portfolio in the UK and the US on the Effects of the Usage of Digital Technology on Brain Development, Social Behaviours and Mental Health in Children and Young People.  In 2025, we ran our first annual call and recently announced the outcome of these awards on our website.For our second annual funding round in 2026, we recently released an open call for proposals. 

As we continue to build our funding portfolio through annual funding calls, we are now looking for a Senior Funding Manager to join the small HFF Science Team in a permanent role. 

SUMMARY PURPOSE - WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING AND ACHIEVING

The Senior Funding Manager is a newly created role in the HFF Science Team.

You will work with the Director of Research and the Senior Programme Officer to administer the Foundation’s science portfolio of grants schemes, awarded grants and associated activities. You will manage and deliver the end-to-end grant application, review and award processes. You will act as a key point of contact for external liaison relating to the schemes. 

Working with the rest of the team, you will also help to develop and deliver events for Foundation grant holders. The role may require some domestic and international travel, including to meet grant holders for horizon scanning, monitoring and impact assessment purposes.

You may also contribute to the Foundation’s wider portfolio of work, and the delivery of our strategy.

IS THIS JOB FOR ME?

This is an exciting new role within HFF Science Team and would suit an individual looking to apply their demonstrable experience of research funding processes, and their knowledge of the research environment and funding landscape. You will lead and deliver the full funding cycle with its complex priorities with confidence. Strong communication, analytical skills and attention to detail are essential, along with the ability to build trusted relationships and work collaboratively. You will be part of a small team, so a pro-active and ‘hands on’ approach to all tasks will be necessary; collaboration and a willingness to support others are essential to success in this role. If you’re organised, adaptable and keen to make a positive impact on world-class research, we’d love to hear from you.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

As a Senior Funding Manager, you will: 

• Take a leading role on managing a diverse grant portfolio from pre-application to post-award, ensuring robust due diligence, clear communication with applicants, high-quality committee preparation, supporting good governance and decision-making, and smooth implementation of funding decisions.
• Provide proactive and collaborative funding operations support to the Science Team and other HFF colleagues.
• Lead, coordinate and deliver funding schemes and calls, setting timelines and workflows, and managing all aspects of associated funding committees to enable efficient, well governed decision making.
• Act as a trusted advisor, offering guidance to applicants and colleagues on funding policies, applicant eligibility, assessment processes, allowable costs and best practice.
• Oversee, coordinate and deliver high quality peer review and governance, selecting appropriate expert reviewers, managing conflicts of interest, ensuring timely and transparent assessments.
• Ensure effective post award grant management and continuous improvement, resolving complex queries, assessing change requests, monitoring compliance and progress, and contributing to process enhancements that support high quality funding operations. 
• Partake in monitoring and impact assessment purposes – annual reports, end of grant reports, etc.
• Liaise with other funding organisations, as appropriate, for example, on the operation of joint funding schemes.
• Contribute to the HFF Science’s wider activities, which may include developing and delivering events for HFF grant holders such as a mini conference or workshop. This may require some domestic and international travel.
• Contribute to the Foundation’s wider portfolio of work, including drafting and providing information for papers for meetings of the HFF Trustees.
• Perform any other duties that might be reasonably expected, and which are commensurate with this level of post. 

KEY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

Education/Qualifications/Knowledge (essential)

• Educated to Bachelor’s degree standard (or equivalent) in a relevant science or public health subject
• A strong understanding of academic research activities in science
• An excellent understanding of procedures and best practice in research funding

Education/Qualifications/Knowledge (desirable)

• Educated to Master’s or PhD standard (or equivalent) in a relevant science or public health subject 

Skills (essential)

• Skilled team worker
• Highly numerate with strong analytical skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills
• Good IT (e.g. Microsoft suite, ChatGPT, and online databases) and presentation skills
• Robust stakeholder management skills – ability to quickly build and maintain the trust of internal and external stakeholders at all levels of seniority

Experience (essential)

• Proven experience (at least five years) as a funding manager or similar role 
• Experience of delivering research funding processes
• Extensive experience of using a grants management system
• Experience of planning, leading and delivering projects
• Connections and links to other funders and peers across the sector

Experience (desirable)

• Extensive experience of the Flexigrant grants management system

KEY STAFF POLICIES AND BENEFITS

• Annual leave allowance of 28 days per year plus bank holidays
• 10% employer contributions through the Foundation’s pension scheme 
• Private medical insurance and travel insurance
• Health cash plan
• Life insurance
• Flexible and hybrid working is possible
• Team away days and opportunities to engage with events and activities in the cultural sector
• Onsite breakfast and lunch

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit by the deadline via email an up-to-date CV, including information on your notice period for your current job, and answer the two application questions below to demonstrate that you meet the minimum requirements for the role. 

 Minimum Criteria

• Experience of academic research environments and educated to at least degree level in a relevant science or public health subject. 
• Previous experience as a funding manager or equivalent role in a research funding organisation.
• Extensive experience of using a grants management system.
• In relation to the funding of research, excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage large workloads, and work to deadlines. 
• In relation to the funding of research, strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to summarise complex information, and tailor it for specific audiences. 
• Excellent stakeholder management skills - ability to quickly build the trust of internal and external stakeholders. 

 Application Questions

• Using examples, outline how you meet the minimum criteria for this role (up to 500 words).
• Provide specific details of up to two different initiatives or projects you have been directly involved in that are relevant to this role. For each activity, please use up to 250 words to describe your role (e.g. team leader, team member), the purpose of the activity (i.e. its aims), and the major contributions you personally made.

Ahead of applying, if you any questions about the role and/or would like an informal chat about the position, please contact the HFF Science Team via email.